Thursday, September 10, 2015

When Michael Serpa, the chef who headed the kitchen at wildly popular Neptune Oyster, left to start a new restaurant, all seafood lovers should follow.

Chef Michael Serpa

Michael Serpa recently opened Select Oyster Bar in Back Bay. This restaurant is slightly bigger than Neptune, but still intimate. Less casual, yet still serving great seafood - both raw and cooked, with a nice list of cocktails, beer, and wine.

We started with some Dayboat scallop (from New Bedford, MA) ceviche. So fresh and I love the crunchy texture that the peppers added!

Of course, there are plenty of local oysters. We went with a couple each of the Island Creek, Wellfleet, and Pemaquid

The cocktails menu leans towards the lighter, citrus-y cocktails that will go well with seafood. I started with ile aux fleurs (Duquense rhum agricole, elderflower, cilantro, lime), and LA Dine n Club ordered a Hemingway Daiquiri using Privateer rum.

Definitely not for the cilantro haters, but we both loved it. What was surprising is the tender tomatillo hidden at the bottom of the plate.

Blue Prawns "a la plancha", espelette pepper, olive oil, lemon ($17)

For our entrees, we tried three different wines for a possible pairing, starting with the more classical pairings with Chablis and Muscadet, and a more unusual one with Ribolla.

Chef Serpa doesn't want this to be a replica of Neptune, so you won't find the famous lobster roll here. But don't fret. Instead, get the incredible Roasted Maine Lobster with celery root, brown butter and lobster jus, roasted cipollinis ($35)

Even after spending the weekend up in Maine with fresh Maine lobsters, this particular roasted lobster was still the best of the weekend. Such sweet and tender meat.

Select has a back patio which they plan to keep heated and covered during the colder months.

With Michael Serpa's reputation, I expected Select Oyster Bar to churn out excellent seafood dishes (they do have a steak on the menu) and my dinner certainly did not disappoint! Given the affluence of the Back Bay neighborhood, it's surprising how few quality restaurants are in the neighborhood, but lucky residents now have Select, which is now easily one of the top seafood restaurants in Boston.